PR Resource – Muarateweh.net

EVANSTON, Ill., — /PRNewswire/ — Minasian Textile Arts has opened”Wrapped in Beauty: The Allure of Antique Shawls” at its gallery space at 1244Chicago Avenue in Evanston. Running through January 26th, this exhibitionfeatures antique shawls of a wide range of designs and types from Kashmir,Persia and Europe. All of the pieces on display are well over 100 years oldand display dazzlingly intricate patterns, deep rich colors and incrediblyfine workmanship.

As exhibition curator, renowned textile expert Joseph W. Fell has selectedfine antique pieces from the Minasian Textile Arts inventory and from privatecollections, including his own. In the 19th century, fashionable women of theupper classes wore these shawls on any and all social occasions, weatherpermitting. Indeed, so common were shawls at many gatherings that shawlsoften displayed embroidered identifying marks in order to avoid mix-ups andconfusion over who owned which shawl. In the present day, these symbols ofluxury and prestige are an almost vanished art form — that makes them a rareand undervalued “find” in the textile and decorative arts marketplace.

Long known for its inventory of antique Oriental rugs, Minasian RugCompany presents its Textile Arts division’s second exhibition of the year.Brothers Armen and Carnig Minasian are well recognized enthusiasts of textilesas art. Armen serves on the Textile Board of the Art Institute of Chicago andCarnig is on the Advisory Council of The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.”Until recently, textiles have been considered “step-children” of the fine anddecorative arts” relates Carnig Minasian. “Now, museums and designers areclamoring to bring exotic textiles from all over the world into installations,offices and private spaces.” Armen adds, “Many people may admire textiles,but not know how to display them in their homes. In our gallery, you will seenumerous ways that these unique and colorful items can be added to your homeor office decor.”

Principally made in Kashmir in the 19th century and earlier (indeed,historical records make mention of shawls as early as the 12th and 13thcenturies, and it is thought that they may date to the 11th century), shawlswere originally worn by prominent men. But after their export to the West,they were solely in the wardrobes of well-to-do women. In fact, Kashmirshawls were so numerous that it indirectly led to their decline among thefashionable set when industrial looms such as the jacquard began to make moreaffordable copies for less-prosperous women.

The ultimate shawl, however, is epitomized by the Kashmir shawl whichrequired an almost unbelievable amount of painstaking labor by mostly poorKashmiri women embroiderers. Shawls could take up to two years to weave fromstart to finish. Adding to this intrinsic human worth is the use of Pashminawool from the undercoat of the Himalayan mountain goat, acquired in trade fromWestern Tibet and spun into perhaps the finest yarns ever utilized in anytextile. For all practical purposes, none of these shawls have been made forwell over a century.

“Wrapped in Beauty: The Allure of Antique Shawls” is open to the publicfree of charge, Monday thru Saturday from 9am to 5pm at Minasian Rug Company,1244 Chicago Avenue in Evanston.SOURCE Minasian Textile ArtsStephen Blackwelder of Minasian Textile Arts, +1-847-864-1010,textilearts@minasian.com